net-zero objectives in the Global North cannot be achieved without Africa's green transition minerals. Africa holds substantial reserves of bauxite, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, iron, lithium, manganese, platinum, and uranium to name just a few.
Given the competition for access to these resources, Africa should not miss the opportunity to capitalise on its mineral endowments to drive transformative sustainable growth, economic diversification as well as local and regional development through value-added processing and manufacturing. African countries will need to determine how to optimise value from their resources to support meaningful productive transformation, integration into regional and global trade systems as well as the development of long-term prospects for industrialisation, while also contributing to building diversified, resilient, and affordable supply of critical minerals for the global clean energy transition. As mining becomes more automated and digitised, new shared value creation opportunities should be pursued, beyond direct employment. Sustainable mining can become a catalyst for local procurement of goods and services, shared use of infrastructure as well as an anchor for renewable energy development.
